Trump's USA

European security policy
Trump withdraws military aid to Russia's neighbours

The Trump administration has decided to cut security aid worth several hundred million dollars to several of Russia's neighbours in Europe. This is stated by several sources for both the Washington Post and the Financial Times.

The US has long offered training and defence equipment to countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. But as part of Trump's ambitions to make its European allies less reliant on support from the US, the programme will be ended.

The White House now hopes that the richer European countries will take over responsibility for Europe's eastern flank. Diplomats that the FT has been in contact with say that they are still trying to assess what the effect of this will be, but the spontaneous reactions are not positive.

- It creates great concern and uncertainty, says one diplomat, comparing this to Trump's previous decision to cut US international aid.

Latin American Drug Trafficking
A silent silence from usually vocal Trump critics

Democratic congressional politicians have been unusually quiet about the Pentagon's attack on what the White House calls a Venezuelan "drug ship," writes Politico.

The attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities were quickly condemned, but when it comes to this week's attack in the Caribbean, the party has been unable to agree on a message that does not make the party appear weak against the drug cartels.

Senator Tim Kaine is keen for military action to be approved by Congress and is currently "digging" into whether the attack was against the law. Progressive heavyweight Bernie Sanders has a habit of criticizing actions that he believes exceed the president's mandate, but he has not commented on this case.

Conflict with universities
Judge: It was illegal for Trump to freeze Harvard's grant

A federal judge in Boston has ruled that Donald Trump did not have the legal right to freeze $2.2 billion in government funds for the elite university Harvard, American media reports.

Trump claimed that the university was not entitled to the government funding because he believed the school did not act against alleged anti-Semitism, which the judge believes was illegal retaliation.

The ruling should be seen as a major legal victory for Harvard. However, it is unlikely to be the last in the matter, as the Trump administration will likely appeal it. 

Criminal Policy
Washington sues Trump for "military occupation"

Washington DC is suing President Donald Trump for the decision to deploy the National Guard in the city, US media report.

“The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and our fundamental freedoms. It must end,” writes the city’s attorney Brian Schwalb in a thread on X.

Several of the decisions that Donald Trump has made during his first term in office have been challenged in court. For example, a judge ruled earlier this year that he violated the law when he deployed the military against protesters in Los Angeles.

The National Guard in the United States — the issue

• Donald Trump took federal control of the police in Washington, DC, and called in 800 National Guard soldiers to fight crime from August 11, 2025.
• The measures were justified by claims of a crime wave and a homelessness crisis, despite official statistics showing that violent crime was at its lowest level in 30 years and about 800 homeless people were living outdoors.
• Federal authorities dismantled 50 homeless camps in the city, but many of those evicted lacked access to permanent housing or support services.
• The decisions were met with widespread protests from residents and criticism from Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called the intervention authoritarian and a threat to the city's autonomy.
• Trump threatened to expand federal efforts to more cities such as Chicago and New York, leading to opposition from local leaders and accusations of abuse of power.